WTA Slammed For Failing To Address Madrid Open Doubles Final Controversy
WTA
Former WTA doubles World No. 1, Rennae Stubbs, slammed the WTA for failing to address the controversy that happened after the 2023 Madrid Open doubles final.
The doubles tournament at the WTA 1000 event in Madrid ended probably in the most controversial way possible. Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia beat the top-seeded Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-4 to win the title.
But there wasn't anything bad about the match itself. After the match, the players weren't allowed to talk to the fans in Madrid, which is usually a part of trophy ceremonies.
Although Gauff and Pegula recently said that they received an apology, the WTA still hasn't posted any official statement that would address and explain the situation.
Rennae Stubbs is one of the former players who also has her own podcast, and she tries to use her platform to speak about important topics. This has been one of them, as she feels that a statement from the WTA has been long overdue.
"Tick tock. What’s the day? How many days has this happened since, and guess who hasn’t made a public statement yet? The WTA. Now I know, and I’ve heard from sources, that they’re working behind the scenes on releasing a statement."
According to Stubbs, the WTA just needs to publish a simple statement to address the situation. She feels like it's not a lot to ask for, but still, there has been nothing but silence from the governing body.
"Guys, it’s a simple f**king statement. You say we are very unhappy with the way our ladies doubles finalists and champions were treated. We are in discussions of how we’re going to handle this going forward, but we want to put it out there right now that we are not happy with the way that was handled. That’s it."
